CV is

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SHARPEN YOUR CV
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A CV IS:
A detailed, lengthy and structured list of education, research, publications, projects,
presentations, awards and work history. A curriculum vitae for a mid-career candidate may be as
long as twenty pages.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CVS AND RESUMES:
 Length: A resume emphasizes brevity, often limiting the writer to one page. A CV, by
contrast, is at least two pages long.
 Content: A resume summarizes your skills, experience and education. A CV provides
additional details about your educational and academic backgrounds. Examples of items to
include on a CV:
►publications
►presentations
►objective
►papers (including current submissions)/compositions
►performances/exhibitions
►grants awarded or written/edited
►professional memberships
►professional licenses or certifications
►honors/awards
►professional service work
►specific technical skills
►foreign language skills
►international study
 Purpose: Resumes are used primarily in the U.S. CVs are commonly used internationally, but
are also expected when applying for faculty, clinical, research or scientific appointments,
acceptance into graduate programs, and when applying for fellowships and grants.
HOW TO CREATE ONE:
 Compile a list of all education, work experience, volunteer experience, extracurricular
activities, and internships. Include dates and location for each.
 Using active verbs, generate short descriptions for each entry emphasizing your role in the
process and the conclusion.
 Keep the needs of your audience in mind as you select content
DOs:
 Maintaining plenty of white space (in the margins, between listings, etc.)
 Using large enough type; 12-point in Times New Roman font is easy to read
 Keeping information on one side of the page
 Preserving order by labeling each page with your name and the page number
 Organizing content by clear explanations and intuitive listings/sections
 Proofreading information several times to catch errors
DON’Ts:
 Overlooking spelling or grammatical errors. Don’t rely on your computer program’s spell
check function; it won’t detect when you’ve substituted the wrong word.
 Substituting incorrect words (e.g. effect vs. affect)
 Ignoring aesthetics: Don’t skimp on space by cramming your content together, minimizing
margins or lumping separate ideas into lengthy paragraphs. Emphasize independent points with
separations so your CV will be easy to read.
 Including private personal information such as age, ethnicity, political affiliation, religion,
social security number, hobbies, marital status, place of birth, height, sexual orientation, weight,
or health information.
 Over-relying on templates. Your CV should be designed to tout your unique experiences, not
to hide you among a crowd dependent on the cookie-cutter examples available online or in
reference books. Your primary goal is to highlight the talents that make you stand out. Play to
your individual strengths and don’t worry if you use a different format than others do. If you
speak a challenging foreign language or two, list them. If you can boast a long athletic history as
a Ping-Pong champion, include that. Spotlighting specialties in your background may
exponentially increase your eligibility for specialized scholarships.